By a vote of 2450 to 53, a majority of all UC Academic Researchers (ARs)—Project Scientists, Professional Researchers, Specialists and Coordinators of Public Programs—have voted to ratify their first-ever union contract! As of ratification, the contract is now in effect and will expire on September 30, 2022. For those who are interested, you can read a summary of the contract here, a comparison of before and after the contract here, and the full agreement here.
With this agreement, all ARs have won significant improvements to their rights and benefits. ARs (and Postdocs) were able to accomplish this because of mass participation in all phases of the campaign. Across the state, the message is loud and clear: Postdocs and ARs are ready and willing to take action to ensure that our working conditions reflect our value to UC research.
Next Steps and Union Membership
This is a huge victory for all academic employees! UAW Local 5810 will now become the Union of over 11,000 Postdocs and Academic Researchers.
More participation equals more collective power. So if you will soon be transitioning to an AR position, reply to this email so we can bring you up to speed on the new contract and make sure you are signed up as a member (if you previously joined the union as a Postdoc, you need to sign a new membership card as an AR).
For Postdocs and ARs, our ability to enforce the contracts and win more improvements on critical issues like pay, parental leave and job security will be wholly dependent on the strength of our membership. Please click here to sign up today!